1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to a process for the decomposition of solid matter, particularly classes of solid matter containing potential fuel sources and energetic matter such as propellants. Specifically, this invention provides a process whereby the thermal decomposition of solids to isolate liquified or gaseous raw fuels is enhanced or accelerated by the application of high voltage but low current electrical fields. As a result, the amount of fuel that must be consumed to provide the necessary thermal energy to produce more fuel is substantially reduced, providing substantial economic advantages. As conventional fuel sources become increasingly scarce and expensive, the extraction of fuels from solid matter will become increasingly important. The ability to control the rate of decomposition of fuel is important in a number of fuel related technology applications.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The thermal decomposition of solid matter to secure liquified and gaseous fuel sources contained therein has long been recognized. Increasing attention has been directed to thermal decomposition of fuel sources such as coal and oil shale as the price of petroleum continues to increase. One of the principle draw backs to such processing is the large amounts of thermal energy, and therefore fuel, that must be expended to achieve thermal decomposition and separation of liquified fuel sources from the solid matter in which it is found. Without some method of enhancing or accelerating this thermal decomposition, more fuel may be consumed than is produced. Also, fuel processing will be a large scale process, and the ability to control decomposition rate can help optimize conventional processing. Finally, control of fuel burn rates can have important implications in a wide variety of applications.
The application of certain types of electromagnetic energy to the matter to be thermally decomposed has been recognized as one method for enhancing or accelerating the decomposition of solid matter. Thus, U.S. Pat. No. 4,135,579 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,196,329 are directed to processes and apparatus for applying microwave energy to shale in situ to heat the shale. Similarly, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,870,611 and 4,010,089 employ electric arcs in hydrogen to induce the reaction of hydrogen with coal or oil shale and thereby affect decomposition. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,153,533 and 3,503,865 also disclose the application of high microwave fields to coal.
The common characteristic of the above discussed processes, and indeed, most of the effective prior art processes for enhancing the thermal decomposition of fuel sources, is the requirement for the introduction of large amounts of energy. Both the microwave processes and the electric arc/hydrogen processes are energy intensive to initiate and maintain. Even with the enhanced decomposition, the increased cost of energy input results in very little economic advantage over direct application of heat without enhancement.
In contrast to the prior art, the inventor has surprisingly found that by maintaining electrical fields of high voltage but little or no current and therefore little or no power dissipation, the thermal decomposition of a wide variety of solid fuel sources can be greatly enhanced, resulting in significant economic savings and enhanced control over the process.